Unbirthday
by TotalAlias
Summary: This has nothing to do with Chapter 47 other than the title. But sometimes the lazy days are the best ones. HAPPY BIRTHDAY YAMI'S GUARDIAN!


**Happy Birthday, yami's guardian! As one of the first people I ever met on FF, I love you very muchly and hope you have a wonderful birthday ^^**

**AAARGH! This is such crap! I apologize for giving it to you DX But I hope you like it anyway? By the way, I hope you enjoyed my super-cryptic emails. As if it wasn't reeeaally obvious that I was writing you a fic XD**

**I do not own Pandora Hearts. If I did, I would add an Ozbert fluff/smex scene of your choice to the manga just for your birthday :D**

* * *

Oz cracked an eye open and cursed the daylight. How dare it wake him from his wonderful dream? Oz decided right then and there that, although pleasant at times, the sun was mostly arrogant and troublesome. Even though it did feel nice as it bled through the gap in the curtains. It didn't feel half as nice as Gil though, so Oz rolled over to face the man in question.

He was still asleep. How cute. He looked so calm and tranquil, as if he was finally happy with the world. He had better be, after the night they just had. But it also made him look more vulnerable than ever. There had been times in the past when Gil would sleep all tensed up, poised to strike at the slightest movement. When he was like that, Oz wondered if he actually slept at all.

But now, with his arm slung around Oz's waist and his breath coming out in slow wisps, he was definitely sound asleep. Oz's chest swelled at the thought of Gil trusting him in this way. He had left himself completely unguarded. It made Oz want to protect him even more. To make sure that Gil was this comfortable with him always. If anything, he was glad that Gil had been doing so more often as of late. He curled up closer to Gil and put his arms around him the best he could (the guy was sleeping, after all).

But this small gesture awoke Gilbert from his slumber. His eyes fluttered open and he winced at the sunlight streaming through the curtains. So instead he looked towards a brighter sunshine, one that sat atop smooth pale skin and beautiful green eyes. They were looking at him too. He couldn't possibly imagine a better way to begin the day.

"Good morning," Gil said, kissing him lightly. "Did you eat already, or did you let it get cold?"

"Eat what?"

"I assume that means you didn't eat." Gilbert's hand reluctantly lifted from the boy's back and pointed behind him towards the bedside table.

Oz rolled over to face the table that held a tray of food. "You made me breakfast?

"Simple, really. Eggs, toast, orange juice." Gilbert yawned. "I don't know what made me think you would wake up at a decent time."

Oz's smile wilted a bit and his face scrunched up. Gil automatically knew what this meant. Eggs and toast were, after all, a modest meal. "You wanted something sweeter?"

"Mmm. But that's okay, I'll just have to make do with something else." Oz pulled Gil towards him for a kiss. He slipped his tongue inside, eager to prove just how dominant he really was, despite what the outcome of last night's encounter may suggest. His hands slid down Gil's torso and wrapped around to his sides, moving just a bit lower to rest on his naked...

"Gil..."

"Hm?"

"You got dressed?"

"Yeah...It felt awkward to be cooking breakfast with no clothes on."

"It's not like there's anyone else here..." Oz pictured Gil trying to cover himself from no one while scrambling eggs. 'I feel so exposed!' the imaginary Gil squeaked, 'It's indecent!' He chuckled at the thought. "At least you kept the shirt off."

"Actually, I had one on too, but I took it off after."

_Why couldn't you take off the pants then?_

Oz chose to keep these thoughts to himself and focus on the light of the situation instead. "Well, at least you _only_ kept on the pants."

"Yep. And here's yours," Gil said, reaching over the side of the bed for Oz's pajama-pants which he had very strategically placed there when he got up earlier. Oz wiggled into the pants Gil had dropped onto his face. He might as well.

"I guess I should go heat up your breakfast." He made to get up but Oz pulled him back down. "Eh, it's already closer to lunchtime than breakfast. And eggs don't taste good unless you eat them right away."

Gil frowned at him, "But you still need to eat. It isn't good to skip meals."

Oz curled around the man's arm and looked up at him playfully, "We won't _skip_ it, breakfast will just be late. We can have a big lunch later and that will count for both!"

Eating a big lunch would only make him less hungry for dinner. And then dinner would be late, which is bad for digestion. Or he might not eat dinner at all, and that would be bad too. "Oz, that still isn't very healthy."

"So what? Today's a holiday. Just one day of bad eating habits won't kill us. We'll be fine."

Gilbert found his firm resolve quickly wilting under that all-too convincing emerald gaze. He did have a point... "Fine. Just because it's a holiday." _Just because you looked at me that way, dammit._

"Speaking of which, isn't it nice to have the whole weekend to ourselves? No work. No Break. No Alice-" Oz tried to ignore Gil's contented sigh at this point. "It's just you, me, and three whole days."

"Yeah." Gil sounded sleepy still. "So what do you want to do today?"

Oz was slightly surprised. Gil hadn't planned anything? Even though it was Oz's idea to spend Midsummer together at Gil's house _'just because' (hehe, not really!), _shouldn't he have had something in mind that they could do? Obviously they'd be going to the festival tomorrow, but that wasn't until tomorrow. Gil wasn't exactly one to lay around the house all day. But since the opportunity was there...

"Do we _have_ to do something today?" ...Oz decided to test the waters.

He wanted to do _nothing_ today? "What do you mean?"

"Well...Pandora's really been overworking you these past few weeks. You look exhausted. And I'm sleepy (and a liiiitle bit lazy)...Why don't we just stay here?"

The idea sounded promising but wouldn't Oz get bored? He could be very restless at times. "You do know there's nothing to do here, right?"

Oz flashed him a devilish grin, "~Au contraire~"

Gilbert narrowed his eyes in return, "No, Oz." Hell, that idea sounded even more promising, but too much of _that_ too often would hurt Oz, wouldn't it? He wasn't used to that yet. "But, I guess doing nothing would be a nice change."

* * *

And so the couple did just that. They stayed in bed for hours, alternating between talking and napping. Oz's idea proved to be a great one. Normally they never got much alone time and they _really_ didn't get much downtime, so it was nice to just _be_ with each other.

They talked of happy things, sad things, of each other, their pasts, everything they could think of to discuss until one of them would doze off. But each nap was short so that they could wake up sooner to talk again.

... ... ... ...

"But out of everyone, why me?"

Oz sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course Gil would get all sentimental (and potentially angsty) when they were having a perfectly nice morning/afternoon. But this topic was bound to come up sooner or later so he might as well answer. "What do you mean, 'why'? I don't know why, it's always been you."

Gil, ever modest, was surprised to receive such a straightforward answer. Puzzled, he waited for Oz's inevitable explanation. "You've been most of my memories, you know. My life basically started when you showed up in our garden. Ada was too small to play with for a while, Missus Kate was a tyrant, and playing alone wasn't half as fun as playing with you." Oz laughed, "Even though you were so worrisome, and clumsy. You cried all the time...But it was fun!"

"Making me cry!" Gil exclaimed. It wasn't like he hadn't known that already, but it still shocked him every time.

"Yeah..." Oz nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "It's still fun, but you don't cry as much now. That's basically the only thing that changed. You're always there for me like you used to, except that now you've gotten better at it."

Oz's speech was growing sluggish. He yawned and stretched before continuing, "You're such a huge part of my life, and very important to me. How could it be anyone but you?"

And there he went, off to sleep.

... ... ... ...

The two were more than content to waste the day away, sleeping and talking. The sun had long passed its highest point when grumbling stomachs forced them out of bed and into the kitchen. Oz propped his chin on his hands as he leaned on the table, silently watching Gil prepare their lunch. Gil made the best and biggest damn sandwiches in the world and when he had finished, it was the raven's turn to prop his chin on his hands as he watched Oz wolf down his meal.

The kid had obviously been starving. And yet he had refused to get up and eat earlier. He'd insisted that Gil share the toast with him, which wasn't much to split between two people. And now he was hungry. It made perfect sense, but why hadn't Oz just let him bring him some food? They still would have been together. They were going to be together all weekend. And usually Oz was a jumping ball of energy, always itching to go outside and do something. But today he wanted to be lazy and lie around all day? Gilbert would never understand his blonde lover across the table.

"Giwuu...Why augh gyuu sstaywing gami?" Oz questioned through a mouth full of sandwich. It was surprisingly not repulsive at all and Gil spent the next minute or so giggling himself into oblivion at the expense of a very irritated Oz.

* * *

After their late, _late_ lunch, the pair migrated to the couch to play chess. Sitting on opposite ends with the board in the middle caused the game pieces to frequently shift, but they managed well enough, albeit with much resultant bickering. Gil won the first two games and Oz won the third, giving the older man a chance to disprove his uselessness while at the same time withholding a chance for Oz to be a sore loser.

Eventually it occurred to Oz that Gil had just been dangling him on a string the entire time. Especially at the beginning, he was no match for the golden-eyed nerd at all. **(AN: No offense to anyone who loves chess. Chess is cool, wish I could play better)** It was ridiculous: He could prolong the game if he wanted or cut it short if he wanted and the winner was whoever Gil wanted it to be (either way, it had no effect whatsoever on the final game, which Oz won with no aid other than his own skill). But by the time they had finished the third game, they were more than tired of chess. Each of those games had taken quite a while to complete and Oz, being the restless child he was, certainly didn't want to play anymore. "When did you get so good at chess anyway?"

"I, umm, played a lot while you were gone. It was something to pass the time when there was nothing to do. I'd think up strategies or analyze the pieces, just so that I would be doing _something_."

That wasn't exactly a standard hobby..."So to pass time, you'd play chess?"

"Yeah. Holy Knight only made me depressed after a while. It wasn't like I had friends. There wasn't really much else I could do." Here Gil's expression adopted a guilty twinge, "Ten years was a long time. Getting you back wasn't even a possibility until I could contract Raven. And that wasn't until years after you left. But even after that, there was nothing for a long time. No new information to go on, nothing to learn, no way to save you for years. You'd think I could have gotten more accomplished. It was really frustrating, and chess required a lot of concentration. It would take my mind off you for a short while, so I played. Sometimes with Vincent, sometimes with Break, and Elliot too before I left the Nightray house. But they had lives to live, and productive things to spend their time on, so I mostly played on my own. But I don't really like chess anymore."

Oz wondered to himself just when this had become such a heavy subject, "Why don't you?"

Maybe Gilbert was wondering the same thing. He didn't seem very comfortable with this topic anymore. But he continued anyway, "Not that I didn't enjoy playing with you just now, but chess reminds me of all the time I spent _not_ saving you. And I wasn't even the one who ended up saving you in the end. There were a lot of things I wanted to do, and a lot of things I tried to do, but very few things that I could do. I'm so useless."

"But it's fine because I'm here now, right?"

Gil paused, looking conflicted, "...Right. That's why..." That was why he had to make up for lost time. That was why he had to make the most of the time they had now. That was why this had to be done and it had to be done now.

Oh god. He'd been thinking about this for a while, he'd even considered that this might be a good weekend for it, but he'd never planned it out. He didn't know what to say, or how. And he didn't even have any alcohol to help him out. But either way, it had to be done. And, as the saying went, there was no time like the present.

So he turned slightly away from Oz (to preserve his sanity) rubbed his hand over his face and decided to start when it began. "When you were gone I missed you so much. I could never describe how much, but try to imagine - No - never mind. Don't imagine it."

Oz stared over at him, puzzled. What was he getting at?

"It was terrible. But when you came back, nothing could have possibly been terrible. Until I found out you came back with _her_...and I had no idea what that meant for me. What it could mean for us. You said she was your sun and your savior, because she saved you twice. It makes sense. I've never saved you in such a way. I wish I could. And I wanted to save you from that hellhole so badly. I tried _so_ hard. But me in my incompetent idiocy, I could do no more than get myself into a huge mess. I wasn't worthy of your love. The love that I wanted so badly to be real that I dreamt it into existence. I didn't even deserve those imaginings. But that was all they were: imaginings. I thought what I wanted while you were away, with no proof to back it up. But I didn't care. There was no one to tell me that of course you hadn't loved me the way I thought you had before."

"But Gil, I..."

Gil cut him off, "I didn't know that then. I didn't know anything. I didn't know if you were even going to come back. And when you did, I didn't know how much longer you would live. I still don't, which is why I had to make the most of every moment we spent together. And each one was gold (like your hair), I'll treasure them forever. And I'll treasure you forever. _I'll always accept who you are_, no matter what. _No matter how much time passes, no matter how our situations change_, you'll always be the most beautiful thing in the world and I love you."

Here Gilbert paused. Dammit. He was letting his emotions run away with him. He had to choose just the right words...

Oz watched the hair veiling Gil's face curiously. He wasn't drunk or anything. What was making him spill all this?

"Back before you left, back when the world was only us, I made a promise. I promised to stay with you and be by your side _forever_. In all my life I've never been more sincere than at that moment. I have every intention of keeping that promise, not until the day we die but _forever_. And I will do anything and everything to make sure that happens. I did mess up once, though. For nearly half of my life I was not protecting you. Even when I was trying to get you back, _I wasn't succeeding_. I know it was only a few days for you but I can never forgive myself for that... But you already have."

After this, Gilbert turned back towards the boy he loved so much. "I know that what I really want wouldn't exactly be...accepted. Not in this day and age. I can understand that. It's abnormal, but you're anything but normal. You're extraordinary, in the best way possible. I love you. I-I love you and I can't be without you again. I _won't_ be without you _ever_ again. O-or, I don't want to. So..."

While Gilbert took a deep breath, Oz took a moment to ponder the situation. What kind of conclusion had Gil come to? What was he about to say?

But then Gil spoke, "So... I want to know if...I didn't think you would appreciate a...so I didn't...never mind...But I really...if you would...Oz. Would you be with me forever?"

"Gil..." Oz breathed, his eyes wide. This was what Gil had been trying to ask him? But Gil had promised to stay by his side long ago. And now he was asking him?...

_Oh._

_He_ was asking _him_. Was this a...? Was this Gil's way of...? Oz finally understood what that meant.

Oz could feel tears beginning to sting his eyes. "Oh..." he whispered. He moved to sit on his knees facing him.

"Gilbert," he gulped, "Nightray... I promise...to be with you forever."

Oz leaned over the chess board, held Gil's eyes for a moment, and closed his. And then their lips met.

They stayed this way for several moments, but soon enough Oz broke the kiss with a gasp. He pressed their foreheads together as the tears stinging his eyes began to spill. Why now? Why was this so...? Why hadn't he made such a vow sooner?

* * *

Hours later the sun finally set, leaving the two right back where they had started, in a tangle of sheets and limbs.

"So, Gilbert Nightray," Oz purred, "Are you implying that we find ourselves a dog and a house on a hill and live happily ever after?"

Gil wrapped his arms around Oz's waist. "Not unless you want to marry me."

So that _was_ what he had been getting at. "Hmm, but we can't do that." Oz said, snuggling closer.

"That's alright. I'm fine staying like this."

Staying just the way they were. The two of them, together. _Forever._

**

* * *

**

Me: AWWWW! :3 This whole thing is dripping in high fructose corny-syrup!  
Oz: Gil's so mushy...  
Me: You like it.  
Oz: ...Yeeeeeaaaah...*blush*  
Everyone: *cheers*

So yeah it was basically just random moments from their day together, because if I had to write in detail the whole day it would turn into a very-many-shot, and since this a present, it all comes at once. Plus, I don't have enough ideas on the topic of "lazy" to fill up a whole day ^^' ARRGH Tell me Gil's confession/proposal wasn't OOC. And yeah, I already know Oz and the whole setup was too, but it could happen right? *slaps self*

**Waah Happy Birthday again yami's guardian! Did you like it? *crosses fingers***  
**What about everyone else? Did you guys like it?**

**FunFact 1: In case anyone was wondering, Midsummer's Day is an actual holiday in Finland on whichever Saturday happens to fall between June 20 and 26. The Eve falls a week before. Isn't that cool?  
FunFact 2: At the begginning, when Oz was imagining Gil "covering himself from no one", I hadn't meant to put that in. But when I first wrote the thing, that was the image that came to _my_ head, so I added it :D**


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